Collected Shorter Fiction, Volume 2 полностью

While Lóris-Mélikov was in the room Hadji Murád’s fourth murid came in, the Avar Khanéfi; a man with a hairy face and neck and an arched chest as rough as if it were overgrown with moss. He was strong and a hard worker, always engrossed in his duties, and like Eldár unquestioningly obedient to his master.

When he entered the room to fetch some rice, Lóris-Mélikov stopped him and asked where he came from and how long he had been with Hadji Murád.

‘Five years,’ replied Khanéfi. ‘I come from the same aoul as he. My father killed his uncle and they wished to kill me,’ he said calmly, looking from under his joined eyebrows straight into Lóris-Mélikov’s face. ‘Then I asked them to adopt me as a brother.’

‘What do you mean by “adopt as a brother”?’

‘I did not shave my head nor cut my nails for two months, and then I came to them. They let me in to Patimát, his mother, and she gave me the breast and I became his brother.’

Hadji Murád’s voice could be heard from the next room and Eldár, immediately answering his call, promptly wiped his hands and went with large strides into the drawing-room.

‘He asks thee to come,’ said he, coming back.

Lóris-Mélikov gave another cigarette to the merry Khan Mahomá and went into the drawing-room.

XIII

WHEN Lóris-Mélikov entered the drawing-room Hadji Murád received him with a bright face.

‘Well, shall I continue?’ he asked, sitting down comfortably on the divan.

‘Yes, certainly,’ said Lóris-Mélikov. ‘I have been in to have a talk with thy henchmen.… One is a jolly fellow!’ he added.

‘Yes, Khan Mahomá is a frivolous fellow,’ said Hadji Murád.

‘I liked the young handsome one.’

‘Ah, that’s Eldár. He’s young but firm – made of iron!’

They were silent for a while.

‘So I am to go on?’

‘Yes, yes!’

‘I told thee how the Khans were killed.… Well, having killed them Hamzád rode into Khunzákh and took up his quarters in their palace. The Khansha was the only one of the family left alive. Hamzád sent for her. She reproached him, so he winked to his murid Aseldár, who struck her from behind and killed her.’

‘Why did he kill her?’ asked Lóris-Mélikov.

‘What could he do?… Where the forelegs have gone the hind legs must follow! He killed off the whole family. Shamil killed the youngest son – threw him over a precipice.…

‘Then the whole of Avaria surrendered to Hamzád. But my brother and I would not surrender. We wanted his blood for the blood of the Khans. We pretended to yield, but our only thought was how to get his blood. We consulted our grandfather and decided to await the time when he would come out of his palace, and then to kill him from an ambush. Someone overheard us and told Hamzád, who sent for grandfather and said, “Mind, if it be true that thy grandsons are planning evil against me, thou and they shall hang from one rafter. I do God’s work and cannot be hindered.… Go, and remember what I have said!”

‘Our grandfather came home and told us.

‘Then we decided not to wait but to do the deed on the first day of the feast in the mosque. Our comrades would not take part in it but my brother and I remained firm.

‘We took two pistols each, put on our búrkas, and went to the mosque. Hamzád entered the mosque with thirty murids. They all had drawn swords in their hands. Aseldár, his favourite murid (the one who had cut off the Khansha’s head), saw us, shouted to us to take off our búrkas, and came towards me. I had my dagger in my hand and I killed him with it and rushed at Hamzád; but my brother Osman had already shot him. He was still alive and rushed at my brother dagger in hand, but I gave him a finishing blow on the head. There were thirty murids and we were only two. They killed my brother Osman, but I kept them at bay, leapt through the window, and escaped.

‘When it was known that Hamzád had been killed all the people rose. The murids fled and those of them who did not flee were killed.’

Hadji Murád paused, and breathed heavily.

‘That was very good,’ he continued, ‘but afterwards everything was spoilt.

‘Shamil succeeded Hamzád. He sent envoys to me to say that I should join him in attacking the Russians, and that if I refused he would destroy Khunzákh and kill me.

‘I answered that I would not join him and would not let him come to me.…’

‘Why didst thou not go with him?’ asked Lóris-Mélikov.

Hadji Murád frowned and did not reply at once.